Console Corner: Pushing boundaries to the Max

Damien Lucas

You may have seen that cult classic Carmageddon is getting a next gen remake sparking some bad press... but I don’t see what all the fuss is about.

The 1997 hit enjoyed a brief revival on PCs and mobile a few years ago and now Stainless Games has revealed Carmageddon: Max Damage is on its way and should be with us by the middle of the year.

The car and pedestrian-crushing racing game will arrive on PS4 and Xbox One nearly 20 years after the original captured the hearts and minds of gamers in the 90s.

But for some reason the reaction to the new release has been rather snobby.

Previews have seen many in the industry taking the moral high ground over some of the game’s more unsavoury elements, namely mowing down pedestrians and specifically some who are on mobility scooters.

Yes this is beyond the pale, but these were the same video game journalists who laud Grand Theft Auto, where you can do the same thing and a whole lot worse.

Whether it has a long term appeal remains to be seen but let’s just enjoy it for what it is, an age-rated video game, not an educational tool.

Damien Lucas, reviewer

If like the vast majority of people you don’t take video games too seriously, and if you are a responsible parent and don’t let your children get hold of games beyond their age rating, you’re sure to love Carmageddon.

There’s the promise of so much to do including four online and six offline events, 30 vehicles, 10 open environments and 90 power-ups.

The studio isn’t shy when it comes to being controversial, though, that much is true with a host of different ways to crash your car.

The previous Carmageddon revival was something of a flop so Max Damage will have to go through the gears to drum up the interest again.

It promises to be bags of pick up and play fun and the graphics don’t look too shabby either.

Whether it has a long term appeal remains to be seen but let’s just enjoy it for what it is, an age-rated video game, not an educational tool.